When a heavily armed man emerged from the bathroom of a European train and began what was clearly intended as a massacre of innocent, unsuspecting civilians, six men ranging in age from 22 to 62 sprang into action. A banker and a middle-aged academic, both French, were first on the scene. The sound of gunfire awakened three young American tourists: Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler. In a moment evocative of the Flight 93 passengers’ shining courage on 9/11, Skarlatos saw Ayoub El-Khazzani struggling with one of his guns and leapt up, saying simply “Let’s go” to his friends.
The three Americans, two Frenchmen and one Briton who took on the terrorist were unarmed — though, thank God, in the case of two (the third was fit, too), their military training prepared them for violence. That’s right. For the world to be safe for most people, good people must learn the arts of war to prevent bad people from ruling through terror. It’s true of individuals, and it’s true of nations. More HERE
If you are paying attention to life and events around our nation and world, it is clear, something is coming. Something uncomfortable … unpleasant … uninvited. Are you prepared?
I am not necessarily talking about stockpiling food & water, although there is no harm in that type of preparation. I’m more concerned with a general attitude.
9 Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men!
Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up!
10 Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, “I am a mighty man.”
Some might have heard of the new film in theaters at the writing of this, War Room. This is the preparation I speak of. This is the greatest weapon believers have against the riding tide of selfishness and lawlessness.
Prayer. I am not talking about “bless me” prayers, but prayer that is violent against all that stands against our God and Creator. (Eph 6:10-20, Matt 11:12) We have been silent and ineffectual long enough! There is a time to turn the other cheek, but now is the time to take a stand, as unpopular or politically incorrect as it may be. It is God we should be concerned with pleasing, not man.
As we approach a turning point election, I challenge all people of faith to pray against the surge of evil that challenges traditional Biblical values in our nation and work diligently together to stem the attack on our families, our faith, and our freedoms, for the sake of our children and the children of the nations!
During the last several years, I have been increasingly embarrassed by the number of Americans who have sold out to the well-intentioned but misguided concept of COMPASSION. It is an age-old deception passed down through the generations that says if we are to be kind, we must be willing to compromise our standards. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In fact, true compassion, the self-sacrificing noble compassion can only be rooted in solid, absolute but merciful moral code.
The question is, what is the best way to alleviate the suffering or hardship of others. Pain and suffering are part of life, and not necessarily the worst part. Though no one desires pain and hardship, many people around the world manage to endure it with joy, or at least acceptance knowing that good always follows pain … eventually.
It saddens me that in today’s America, we seem to have forgotten the benefits of struggle, or working toward a goal, of fighting through disease, of sacrificing for the good of others. This is the essence of compassion.
Instead, we have opted for the shortcuts. Problem is, “No pain – no gain” is completely accurate! We are left with a nation of Americans who have no idea what it cost to build America into a nation where, at least before the current administration, people of all races, religions, and backgrounds could live together in relative harmony. We are no longer taught of the price the Founding Fathers paid for their rebellion against the status quo. Of course, humans are imperfect, and today’s educators and political liberals choose to focus on their imperfections rather than the enormous gifts they gave and the heavy costs they paid.
Now, there are many whose lives reflect the same selfless sacrifice in service to others. Recently, police have come under irrational scrutiny because of some ideologues political agenda. Of course, there are imperfections and abuses. As long as they are human, that will be the case. But we dare not overlook the tremendous personal sacrifices made by our first responders and military service members (and families.)
As we celebrate this weekend, I pray we remember … the tremendous cost of freedom that allows us the many choices we have, and it is my prayer that we will work to overcome evil with good…each of us…one kindness at a time!
Father God, many in our nation have turned away from You, but you know each one and love us still. Father God, please turn our hearts back to You in gratitude for all You have provided. Heal the divides between neighbors. Restore our yearning for self-reliance with You as our Source and our Guide … for the sake of the lost people of the world.
MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #83
February 6, 2014 Rick Joyner
America is not the kingdom of God, and it is definitely not the New Jerusalem. Even so, many nations have been called by God for special purposes. After years of studying American history and the founding of our Republic, His hand in our founding became clear to me. America has a purpose in preparing the way for His coming kingdom.
The kingdom of God will not be a democracy, but a kingdom. It will be built on many of the freedoms that are foundational to America’s strength and accomplishments. People were created to be free, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The coming kingdom will be the world’s Jubilee. Like the biblical year of Jubilee in which all debts will be cancelled and all inheritances restored, this will happen for all mankind.
In Isaiah 40 we see that we prepare the way for the Lord by building a highway. America is part of that highway. While other nations have a part in this too, my primary calling is to my own nation. With the crisis America is in now, I am focusing on its part although the same principles can apply to others. Though America has had many great crises that have threatened our existence, they have all resulted in a great advance toward our ultimate purpose. The present crises can do the same. As we are engaged in building our part of this highway, the favor and blessings of God have been upon us, and it is His way to save the best for last. We must not give up on our country now. We can be sure that God has not.
Crises = Opportunity
For many years we have been saying that each year would be more challenging than the last. I don’t think we have been wrong yet. What can we expect for 2014? It will be even more challenging too, but that does not mean it will not be a great year. Keeping in mind that victories don’t come without battles, and no great victories without great battles, this is the year we can expect some breakthroughs and a turning. Now is the time to see these crises/opportunities and prepare for them.
2013 gave us shocking revelations, unprecedented in American history, of the government’s use of the IRS to intimidate and control political opposition, domestic spying by the NSA, and the building of an apparatus that could be used for totalitarian control even beyond the imagination of the authors of 1984 and Animal Farm. The year ended with ObamaCare collapsing, the Administration reeling, stock markets soaring, and the politically incorrect Duck Dynasty rising in popularity far past the President or any other politician. We can learn much from these signs.
Not everyone who stood up for Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty agreed with him. However, there was a rising agreement that he had the right to say what he thinks without being penalized. Repulsion to political correctness is on the rise as well as a refreshing embracing of anyone with clear speech and the courage to say what they actually think. This is certainly a good sign.
The revelations of our government’s domestic spying apparatus should have caused the greatest outrage of Americans. The relative passivity of Americans about this is troubling. However, there are also signs that people are waking up to this threat as well.
As the saying goes, “If you do not change your direction, you will end up where you are headed.” Therefore, we will look at these and other major revelations that are illuminating ultimate issues with serious consequences. We will do this using a slightly modified version of The Three Great Questions:
It really is simple! For thousands of years, men of education, and assumed intelligence, have sought to explain what is elementary enough for the youngest, most simple-minded among us to grasp. We complicate it with sophistication, assuming we can improve the experience of history: HIS-STORY! We complicate it with lofty knowledge’s elaborate words trying to impress … whom? God? or man?
From before Creation was spoken into existence until the time of His-story’s culmination, GOD is LOVE. That’s it! Every thought, every word, and every action of God is motivated, directed, and empowered by LOVE. Unconditional Love. A Perfect Father’s Love.
Problem: Burdened by inexplicable (and unaccepted in our society) guilt, we hate our Self. And because we hate our Self, we are unable to fully love any one or anything. We can’t give real love or receive it. We Fear instead. We fear alone-ness. We fear one another. We fear our differences. We fear our sin. We fear our Self. And we blame God.
Our imperfections, our sinfulness, cloud our understanding of God, of Love, so we distrust Him. This causes a separation resulting in loneliness, which is not about people, but about missing our closeness with Father God. In our loneliness, our vision (still clouded,) we see the brokenness and imperfections in others and feel repelled and rejected.
NEWSFLASH: GOD IS LOVE!!!!! Not just ambiguous, unfocused, vague, and random, but person, intimate, accepting and individual love. Every minute of every day, GOD is literally moving heaven and earth to LOVE YOU. He will not quit until your life’s last breath is gone.
Just a few of the hundreds of promises that are yours and mine!
What’s more … Every promise, every promise, every promise contained in His book … between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22 is a personal promise for YOU (and me.) But to see these promises fulfilled, though some again make it complicated, the only requirement is that you RECEIVE them. Of course, to do that, you must first have some belief that God can and will actually come through.
From the beginning of time, God knew we would fall, we would not always do the right thing. God knew, and because He didn’t want us to be estranged from Him indefinitely, so He set up a plan to reconcile us. It meant sending Himself in human form, Jesus, to live as a sin-free man. This enabled Jesus to choose to pay the price of my sinfulness, suffer and die on the cross, then walk out of the tomb, conquering death. Why? because He loves us and wants to hang out with us. Everything he says, everything He does, and everything He speaks comes from that Love … Everything!!!! He wants to love us outrageously, lavishly, happily, boundlessly forever! It’s really that simple!
Ray Comfort: Here is a rule of thumb when reading the Bible: “With God, nothing shall be impossible.”
Now you can believe that seas can open, food can fall from the heavens, the sun can stop, whales swallow people, animals can fit on a boat, arks float, walls tumble, and fish can multiply. It’s really quite simple.
Nothing is impossible in your personal life. Nothing is impossible in your family. No thing is impossible in this nation, if we return to God, receive His love and pass it on to one another freely, as He commands! God can fix what is broken in America, but first, we have to ask Him!
Unknown or unacknowledged by many, our forefathers erected a “Matrix of Liberty” for the purpose of documentation. It documents the road map they followed to win and establish LIBERTY in AMERICA. The monument has been there for decades, built with government funds, in the off chance We, the People would lose our way and allow the government to assume tyrannical power. Oops! Good thing, right? Yet, it is ignored.
Below, the matrix is explained. Each of the granite figures carries meanings like pieces of a puzzle. I have outlined each figure below, but the video completes the explanation. Please watch and be amazed!!!
FAITH
Meet FAITH! She is paramount! She is pointing upward toward the God of the Bible. FAITH in God is what brought the first Pilgrims, or Separatists, to Plymouth. Not the sour, pious stiffness we were told in school, but a LIVE FAITH that carried them through persecution and hardship as they broke free from tyranny.
MORLITY
Morality is internal liberty, and starts in the HEART of the individual. As we pursue our God in faith, He teaches us true fairness via internal morality of heart.
EVANGELIST
EVANGELISTS preach the message that transforms the heart. TRUE Freedom and Morality are products of FAITH in GOD and His Promises, the BIBLE, studied and taught to every person.
LAW
A MORAL SYSTEM translated from God’s Law into civil law, balanced by MERCY and JUSTICE, with Equality under the LAW for each individual.
EDUCATION
A Woman training her young children (YOUTH) according to heart-held principles and an honorable character, preparing the next generation to carry forward the “Matrix of Liberty!”
LIBERTY
LIBERTY is the result of following the “Matrix of Liberty!” LIBERTY is seated in Victory. He is holding the broken chains of the manacle of tyranny attached to his leg. He has slain the Lion Tyrant, yet bears the marks as a remembrance on his shoulder. Liberty has his foot on the chest of Tyranny, holding it down by following God’s principles only – no bloodshed! Strength based on Morality, overcoming evil with Goodness!
So much of what we were taught in school, and even more of what our children are being taught in school today is simply untrue based on historical documents still in existence. Notably, the first Bibles printed in the United States were funded by CONGRESS in 1782 for the use of our SCHOOLS – First public school law!!! Bibles were used in schools starting in 1647 through 1963 (which I remember!)
LEARN MORE … PLEASE WATCH VIDEO!!!!!
So … where do we go from here, America? Toward FAITH or TYRANNY?
From a distance, I can hear the rumbles,
As the earth-ball quakes under the strain,
As the nature of man betrays its sorrowful ambition:
To be sovereign and powerful, to be God.
From a distance, I can hear the cries,
For ease, for comfort, for wealth;
No wisdom, No discerning the needs of Neighbors;
Only rest, relaxation, and recreation.
From a distance, I can hear Earth groan,
As her Leaders twist and turn the Truth
To secure and increase their own wealth and power,
Yet they call themselves “Public Servants!”
From a distance, I can hear the unrest,
As Nature recalls her wondrous Creator,
Yet bows in submission to the abused and the abuser,
Man: he could be so much more.
From a distance, I can hear a trumpet call;
A warning, a reminder, an alarm;
Search the scrolls, the history of man
And see his path of self-destruction, and turn.
From a distance, I can hear a mighty roar,
The roar of the eternal King,
Waiting, watching, working to restore
All that has been stolen & destroyed.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
This has long been one of my favorite Bible passages. It’s filled with hope, especially when times are tough. It reminds me of the old TV program from the 60’s called, “Father Knows Best!” And it’s true – He does know best. Here we find reminders of God’s correction, favor, and love wrapped in warm, cozy blankets of promise.
So, I nestle under the shadow of His wing, then I’m reminded …
“10 Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. 13 So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6: 10-13 CEV
In this land we know as America, we have certain understanding of freedom. To most of us, it is built on a bold, self-reliance that tackles difficulties head on and creatively solves or endures the hardship, right? We pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, and so forth! The notion that “God helps those that help themselves,” though blatantly unbiblical, is something most of us are familiar with. In fact, God blesses the meek (not weak) in spirit which is pretty much the antithesis of “God helps those that help themselves.”
Meek is not weak, and neither is dependency on God a weak thing. In Jeremiah 17:5 (CEV), we read …
“This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.”
What is the difference between dependence on God and dependence on Government?
Simple! Government is the same as man. It is just a group of men and/or women. These Bible verses indicate that dependence on man – ANY man or group of people, is not a good idea.
Maybe this is the great error of America! Proverbs 28: 26 says,
Only fools would trust
what they alone think,
but if you live by wisdom,
you will do all right.
Abraham and Terah travelling from Ur to Haran, illustration for Everyday Life in Bible Times (National Geographic Society, 1968), by American illustrator Tom Lovell (1909-1997).
The great heroes of the Bible were FREE enough within themselves to go against the grain of society and attach themselves to an unseen God. Abraham was called out of Ur, where pagan worship included child sacrifices and sexual promiscuity as part of their worship. They put their faith in God alone. God knows it was not Abraham’s choice to sacrifice his son, Isaac, but he was willing, if that is what this God required. Was Abraham relying on his wisdom? his strength? his ability as a problem-solver? No. He simply (though it certainly is not always easy) trusted God.
William Bradford, though a young man of only 30, lead the group of travelers, a mix of “Saints and Strangers.” on a 65 day sea voyage across stormy seas. They sought Virginia, but ended up on the coast of Massachusetts. They were on their own … but God orchestrated their survival, and they were deeply grateful. Thanksgiving resulted.
There is a moral dilemma within America today. Clearly, we have lost our compass as a nation, yet there are those among us yearning to be free. We understand that freedom issues from the throne of God, not from Washington, D.C. Still, the struggle toward self-reliance conflicts with biblical direction toward God-reliance. Interestingly, both the heroes of the Bible and heroes from early America stand among the “strongest” men and women to me. Somehow, their dependence on God freed them to walk in the same “independence” that created the Universe, that crafted elegant and beautiful melodies with harmonies of innumerable sounds, that painted nature with elaborate and myriad colors, textures, and shapes. Like so many other God-principles, to find true freedom, it seems we must sell out to the Author of freedom. (see Luke 17: 33 CEV, Mark 10: 35-45) Will we?
Do you remember what happened in the Garden of Eden? Whether our understanding is literal or figurative, SIN entered the human experience. (Sin being the deliberate and willful disobedience to God’s word.) Interestingly, the immediate response to the “eye-opening bite” was SHAME. Adam and Eve felt the need, suddenly, to HIDE themselves.
Note: Eve had not been created yet when God told Adam not to eat of this particular tree. Although Adam later told her, for centuries she has been blamed when in reality, God instructed ADAM! Just sayin …
We’re told God made two special trees in the Garden, a Tree of Life and the Tree of the KNOWLEDGE of Good and Evil. When Adam and Eve shared the fruit from the Tree of the KNOWLEDGE of Good and Evil, their eyes were suddenly opened, and they were aware they had SINNED. They felt shame and guilt, they attempted to justify it, but death became part of Life. Prior to this event, Adam and Eve were blissfully unaware of evil.
I find it fascinating that God did not forbid them to eat of the Tree of Life until after sin entered the world. Had they chosen its fruit, we would live forever as pure babes! But, the gnawing desire to be “like God” lured them to the one forbidden Tree. Only then, did GOD set a guard to prevent them from the Tree of Life.
Again, I find it interesting that the “knowledge” of good and evil is a divine characteristic. Something to “chew” on …
“Has God indeed said …?” God told Adam if he ate of the tree he would surely die. When the serpent came along to “tempt” Eve, he simply introduced a tiny measure of doubt – “Has God indeed said …” It doesn’t seem like much to you and me, but prior to that God had never been questioned or contested. Funny thing is today, that “serpent” continues to use the same tactic …
“Has God indeed said a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh…?” God’s idea!
“Has God indeed said all men are created equal and should be treated equally regardless of wealth, religion, sexual preference, race or eye color? God’s idea!
“Has God indeed said his followers should live in this world but yet be separated from it? Live differently? God’s idea!
But Adam and Eve, along with each of us, rejected God’s way and insisted on our own. They ate and instantly they KNEW good and evil, and they KNEW they were naked. Before, they were naked and unashamed. Now, they were compelled to cover their nakedness. They were ashamed.
Immediately, too, they began to attempt to justify their sin. When confronted, Adam blamed the woman, and she blamed the serpent. “Not my fault!”
As I look around this once great nation, example after example of this same pattern is evident. We fall prey to “Has God indeed said …” and SIN always attempts to justify itself by claiming popular approval. Adam tried to explain to God that the woman God gave him lead him to eat, so he ate. We hear our children say, “Everyone else is doing it!” (whatever IT is!)
Bottom line, though, we KNOW good and evil. We inherited the Knowledge of Good and Evil! We are intimately aware of our SIN. What we don’t know is GOD’s unmatchable and boundless love for each of us.
This is precisely why we must live what the Word of God says –
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.James 2: 1-4 CEV
Now, doesn’t that sound like what’s happening in our nation?
To stand by silently while we look at the face of evil in full display before our very eyes is the very essence of condoning the evil being perpetuated.
If ever there was a time for decent people to stand up and be heard, this is it. We are assaulted on every front with compromise, corruption, and cowardice. Those we elected to represent us are not doing so, but rather working their own agendas at our expense.
We each in our own private agony seek a way to turn our nation back to her Foundation. But what can one man or one woman do against the blind hordes?
CARE!!!
Why do American families feel the need to put their Seniors away in “care” facilities?
Why do African-Americans try to emulate the gangster culture, then wonder why the neighborhood crime rate goes up?
Why do young girls, pre-teen girls (and boys), feel the desperate need for a boyfriend, to be “sexually attractive” and sexually active and we say, ok?
Why do we look the other way for marital infidelity, pedophilia, drug or alcohol abuse, even shoplifting?
WHO ARE WE? We used to understand that kindness, integrity, honor were good things. Now, we look the other way. We lock ourselves behind the walls of our little (mortgaged?) castle and think we’re immune. We even know the famous quote about evil being the result of what happens when “GOOD” people do nothing. Have we connected the dots yet? We’ve done NOTHING for decades and evil, perversion, corruption, degradation … moral decay has swept across this land.
So … who are we? Who do we want our CHILDREN to be?
I have listed a number of articles below, each spotlighting an error, a bungle, a wrong turn. I know it sometimes seems hopeless, but I honestly believe we are making headway one American at a time. I also believe we can only lead the way if we know where we’re going. It’s one thing to tear apart the policies of the President. It’s another thing to know where we need to go. One answer: the CONSTITUTION!
It’s time we reach out and CARE for one another again. Fear has gotten us no where! It’s time to care about our Seniors and the riches of wisdom and experience they can share with us. It’s time to care about the children who spend their days in daycare or poor schools and what they’re learning. It’s time to care about the growing corruption in Washington DC, and take a stand for who we want to be 10 years from now. It’s time to get beyond Democrat or Republican and embrace one another as AMERICANS! It’s TIME to stop pointing fingers and start using our hands to help build the America we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren … One American at a time! IT’S TIME!!!
